10 British Actors (Who Weren't In Harry Potter) That Should Be In Fantastic Beasts

Mark Rylance has been a working actor in film, TV and theatre for longer than anyone else on this list, but only now has he finally started to get the reputation he deserves. His Oscar-winning performance as Rudolf Abel in Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies has put him on the tip of Hollywood's tongue, and his star is only growing larger.

He continued his relationship with Spielberg for his adaptation of Roald Dahl's The BFG, playing the titular Big Friendly Giant with a warmth that gave the film its true heart. This summer, he stars in the Christopher Nolan war epic Dunkirk, and his third collaboration with Spielberg hits screens next March with the Ernest Cline adaptation Ready Player One.

With a pedigree as great as Rylance's, it's a wonder that the filmmakers behind Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts have never approached him before, but now that he's bigger than ever they'd be crazy to not at least consider him for a role. Rylance would make for a perfect mentor figure in this new era for the franchise, whether it be to Newt Scamander himself or perhaps even the young Dumbledore.

Fantastic Beasts has yet to snag a high-calibre as the Potter films did with actors like Richard Harris or John Hurt. It needs someone who can give the films a sense that the material isn't just for kids. Rylance is exactly that kind of actor, which is why above everybody else on this list he should take a ride to the Wizarding World.